Harry woke up in a strange but pleasant place. The room had pale yellow walls, dark oak furniture, and sunlight streaming in from open windows. Hedwig was on a proper owl perch by an open window. He found his glasses and his wand on the night stand on the right side of the bed. With his glasses on he could that there was a bookcase between the windows and the books it held where on magic. So this was a place in the magical community.
“Awake at last Mr. Potter. Do you need to use the loo or can you wait a few minutes.” Snape asked calmly from the doorway.
“I can wait.” Harry replied. “Where am I Professor?”
“Applegate cottage. Don't get up yet.” Snape replied before leaving. He returned a few minutes later with an elderly woman. “My Great Aunt Annie Appleton a retired healer.”
“How many fingers am I holding up on each hand.” the woman asked.
Harry counted twice to make sure he got it right. It was the first time he had seen any one with six fingers on one hand. “Six on the left hand and three on the right.” he replied.
“Good. Now follow my finger with only your eyes.” she ordered. “Now is there any soreness anywhere and I do mean anywhere. You where hit with a rather nasty set of curses. One of which was targeted on your reproductive organs.”
“A slight ache as if I'd been on my broom to long.” Harry reluctantly replied embarrassed.
Annie cast a quick series of spells. “No problem you have been on a broom to long. You can get up now. Severus will help you to the loo. Then to the kitchen for breakfast.” she said as she finished up.
“Sir, what happened?” Harry asked.
“I was hoping you could tell me. You're going to be unsteady on your feet for a few days hence my needing to help you. Let's see if you can stand on your own.” Snape ordered him.
Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed then attempted to stand up. It was harder then he though but he managed it. His muscles trembled with the effort. Snape was at his side and helping him walk out the room down a short hallway to the loo. With admonishment to sit while he did his business. Snape closed the door to give Harry privacy. Once he was finished he opened the door and Snape helped him to the kitchen which was the other way down the short hallway. His breakfast was odd half a kipper, new peas, and a mango. After he had eaten he was presented with three potions.
“This Bethany's Tincture. Severus will be teaching you how to make it. It's a general nerve tonic that's legal for an under age wizard to make in a muggle setting. Commonly prescribed after a transfiguration accident to help strengthen the nerve memory. This one is Rolyard's Syrup it will strengthen your muscles and last this one. Under ordinary circumstances I would not be giving you this one at all. The potion has no name though any Master Healer or Master of Potions can make it. It will strengthen your heart. The Bethany's tincture will be taken with meals all through summer and maybe part of the Autumn. Madame Pomfrey will determine when you stop taking it when start school in September. Rolyard's Syrup will be taken in the morning with breakfast for the next 5 days. This one will be taken every two hours for the next 48 hours. I do mean every two hours either Severus or myself will be waking you to take it during the night. Questions?” Annie asked after she completed the explanation.
“Why wouldn't you normally give this one to me?” Harry asked pointing to the pale green potion in a clear vial for strengthening the heart.
“It's usually given to those for whom the usual heart potions have either failed or do not work any more. However one of the curses was targeted directly at your heart damaging it. The curse set was to weaken you physically to turn you into an invalid. You where meant to be found after the curses had done their work and left your body. Past the point of full healing.” Annie told him. “Given who you are and what you face I'm not going to risk weakening your heart.”
“Does Madame Pomfrey know about this potion?” Harry asked.
“She does. Madame Pomfrey is a Mistress of Potions and makes most of the cures needed that need to be consumed immediately after making. I supply those potions that are not common like the draught that reversed the petrification in your second year.” Snape replied.
“Or the Wolvesbane for Prof. Lupin in my third year.” Harry said.
“Correct.” Snape said.
Annie watched him take his potions. “Back to bed with you. Sleep if you can. After your second dose you'll be able to sit in the lounge until lunch.”
Snape helped Harry back into bed. “Do you want to sleep?” Snape asked.
“Not really.” Harry said. “What was done to me?”
ldquo;My Aunt thinks there where 12 curses placed on you. Grey magic curses that in and of themselves are frowned on but have healing uses used individually. Some have fallen out of common use some are still in use. As to why you are here instead of St. Mungo's. Simple St. Mungo's is compromised and we can't insure your safety.” Snape explained.
“I see. So where is here exactly?” Harry asked.
“Wales near the Dragon Preserve. My Aunt is one of the volunteer wardens. That simply means she makes sure the wards to keep the dragons in are in place and not breached by a dragon. You'll be able to see one flying by in the front garden if the weather turns sunny as we are right on the border and there is a male who claims the other half of this valley which is in the Dragon Preserve.” Snape replied.
“How long will I stay here?” Harry asked.
“About two weeks maybe three weeks. You'll be able to use my owl Atalanta to send your letters to your friends. Your snowy owl is to well known to be used. Though her advantage is that she can be seen flying in the day time and no one would think it odd.” Snape replied.
“Alright. How did I get here?” Harry asked.
“On my Aunt's old racing broom riding double with me. It being the only means of magical transportation you could use with the curses on you. I found you about a block from your relatives home. Summoned by a potion based ward I placed on you before you left for the summer holidays. It's sole purpose was your general health and well being. Such a ward falls into the area of gray magic since it requires the blood of the person to be warded. It will also wear off by mid September. Now that you know about it I will need your consent to reapply it.” Snape answered him.
“I was bleeding enough for you to get the blood when I came back from the graveyard.” Harry commented.
“True. I was also able to clean up the blood you left behind when I was summoned. Few of those summoned are knowledgeable enough to make use of your blood. Of those that did none knew which was your blood and which was Wormtail's. With the sample of yours I did know. Another reason why you are here and not St. Mungo's.” Snape explained.
“You had a time turner when you answered the summons?” Harry asked.
“Yes, He knew I was still at Hogwarts and wouldn't be able to attend him immediately.” Snape said. “Now what do you remember Today is the 8th of July. I found you the evening of the 6th of July.”
“The 6th started like a typical summer day. I got up helped my Aunt fix breakfast. Then I had my chores to do. I finished by lunch and was allowed to go where I wanted. I headed for the park with one of the books Professor McGonagall gave me to read. It's a muggle paperback spy novel about the man inside who feeds information to the good guys. They're all like that.” Harry said.
“I will have to thank her. Go on.” Snape encouraged him.
“I bought myself an orange barley water then found a shady spot to read in. Around dinner time I headed home. The Dursley's where going out for dinner that night so I didn't have to hurry to the house to help my Aunt make dinner. I was about a block from their house when I don't remember anything except waking up here.” Harry told him.
“Potter when did you stop considering the Dursley's house your home?” Severus asked calmly.
“The first summer after Hogwarts when I was at the Weasleys.” Harry explained. “When I learned what a real family was like.”
“I see. That does explain much. The blood wards of your Mother's sacrifice should have covered a half mile in all directions protecting you. However my sources indicate that the wards barely cover the house. I doubt that they will last past this summer. That means other methods of insuring your safety have to considered. Including safe guarding your Aunt and cousin who share blood with you.” Snape said. “You are now old enough to understand the effects of your actions.”
Harry was beginning to understand where Snape was going from. “Can they be moved out of the country to say Canada or some place else? There are memory charms and the like to make them forget me all together.” Harry offered.
“Yes and very illegal as well. If there were sufficient need it would be done.” Snape replied. “Fudge is denying your warning of the Dark Lord's return and is putting together a campaign which will blacken your name.”
“I know I get the Daily Prophet.” Harry replied. “He's blaming me for Cedric's death.”
“Inaccurate as that rag is it is one of our sources of information. It's good that you are reading it. While you are here I will attempt to teach some of the background on those who think themselves pure bloods. How's your Latin?” Snape asked.
“Not to good.” Harry admitted. “I can puzzle out the Latin of spells not much more.”
“Then I'll need a very good English translation of the original Hogwarts Charter.” Snape said.
“Percy showed me the one in the Library at school. When I caught a clue about the bigotry in my second year.” Harry said.
“Good. One of the duties of a head of house is to keep the papers the founder of the house bequeathed to Hogwarts. Slytherin left his notebooks explaining his choices. I've had a chance to read them. There was a pamphlet made up in the 18th century by the then head of house that explains the reasoning Slytherin used and his insistence on wanting to allow only those with magical parentage in to the school.” Snape said.
“Which modern day wizards take to mean something else.” Harry commented.
“Quite Salazar Slytherin was a half blood like myself. Most have forgotten his true father, a muggle and remember only his step father who was a wizard.” Snape replied.
“Dark wizards come from all houses not just Slytherin.” Harry replied. “Are there any allies for me in Slytherin?”
“Several. Bulstrode in your year. Their belief in pure blood lies in the results of their being some of the best beast masters in Britain. They breed themselves like they do their beasts. They also know that adding new blood to the line keeps it strong. While Miss Granger would not be suitable as an addition to the family her grandchildren would as long as she married a wizard and her children did the same.” Snape said.
“I think Hermione could live with that reasoning. Are the Bulstrode's a family that usually go into Slytherin?” Harry asked.
“No, they are about evenly split between Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Most of the half bloods currently in Slytherin find the pure blood rhetoric hard to swallow as currently preached. As do those who have a muggle born parent.” Snape told him.
Harry yawned exhaustion hitting him hard. “We'll talk more later Okay Professor?”
“Sleep well.” Snape said then left the room. He found his Aunt in the front Garden watching the Male Dragon attempt to burrow out from under the wards.
“That one is going to be hard to contain.” she indicated the Dragon. “Learn anything?”
“He doesn't consider his relatives home his and hasn't for several years. The wards on that house are failing. Dumbledore will attempt some sort of mind magic to insure he does to preserve the wards.” Severus said.
“The idiot. Wards of any sort are his weakness. Wards based on blood forget it. Have you studied the book I gave you.” She asked.
“It may remove me from the Dark Lord's circle. The information is something we need.” Snape replied. “Dumbledore wont be pleased.”
“Both you and the boy qualify for the Kindred. It will be the price Dumbledore must pay for our aid. It will also remove the link to the Dark Lord that the boy has which was caused by the death curse.” Annie explained.
“And this what of it?” Severus indicated his dark mark.
“You'll be free of it. Though the mark might remain as a rather ugly tattoo.” She said.
“Potter will need time to come to grips with this.” Snape commented.
“He'll have the time. He needs to be at least 15 before he can legally agree to the accords and the apprenticeship. I can delay his full healing that long.” she told him.
“Dumbledore may wish to move him back to his relatives as soon as possible.” Snape commented.
“The Statue on Secrecy will work in our favor with this. Harry's relatives have never received the basic healing course those muggles with a magical child receive. So since he will be on a complex potions regiment for the next month he'll have to stay in the care of a healer.” Annie grinned.
“Madame Pomfrey is not an order member and he has few healers he can call on and none for this.” Severus smiled in response.
The ward where the dragon was digging began to glow red. Annie moved over to it and cast a strengthening of the ward. The dragon bellowed in pain and backed off. In the hole now outside the wards was a fragment of Dragon claw with some blood on it. She carefully collected it and handed it over to Severus.
“You can do that wandless now?” Snape asked surprised.
“Required to be a warden of the preserve. I'll have to report him unfortunately.” she sighed. “He's so very promising.”
“With his living blood I can make a binding to keep him in.” Severus offered.
“It wont hold him long.” She replied.
“Is the dragon of age to be of the kindred?” Snape asked.
“A little young for it. He wont be the youngest on record though. You've decided?” She asked.
“Yes, now to convince Potter of the need.” he replied. “I'll begin the brewing now using some of my blood to strengthen it. You'll need some sheep's milk to feed it to him.”
“Goat's milk is easier to get would that be a problem?” Annie asked.
“No. I'm not overly fond of it though and I doubt Potter has had any in his life.” Severus said.
“It will be at least a week before he has any form of dairy.” she replied.”If memory serves you like goat's cheese well enough.”
“I do.” Snape agreed.